Sathyagala Madhya Rangam Ranganatha Temple

TS Krishna Bhattar served at the temple for 84 years 

Belief is that visiting Srirangapatna, Sathyagala and Srirangam on the same day will fulfill a devotee's wishes

Located on the banks of the Cauvery is the Ranganatha Swamy temple in Sathyagala, referred to as Madhay Rangam, a temple whose legend dates back to the Kretha Yugam. Belief is that one’s prayers will be fulfilled if one visits the three ancient Ranganathaswamy temples located on the banks of the Cauvery on the same day - Srirangapatna (Aadhi Rangam), Sathyagala (Madhya Rangam) and Srirangam (Anthya Rangam) on the same day. For long, the practice with the devotees in Karnataka has been to have Vishroopa Sevai at Srirangapatna at 730am, darshan at Sathyagala at 9am and the third darshan at Srirangam in the evening.

Glorious Times

Till the middle of the 20^th Century, the Ranganatha Swamy Temple was under the control of the Mysore Palace and it was glory days for the temple and its personnel. Several Villages around Sathyagala were donated by the Palace towards the upkeep and maintenance of the temple and the conduct of the Utsavams. The income from the 800 acres land was used to support over a 100 Vedic Pundits who lived here and chanted the Vedas each day of the year.

During the time of the Wodeyar, the Raja’s representative Ramaswamy Mudaliar ensured that the temple received paddy in large quantities and that there was no shortage of anything that was required for the conduct of the daily poojas and utsavams. There was a period in the middle of the previous century when cashews were presented in sack full as neivedyam for the Lord.

TS Krishna Bhattar, who passed away a few years ago at the age of 96, was one of the most respected priests in the region. He performed aradhana at the temple for 84years having begun service at the age of 12. Through his devotional commitment he earned the goodwill of the people not just in Sathyagala but across Karnataka.

He was a revered agama practitioner and was on the board of Sanskrit Institutions in Karnataka. During the decades of his service, he also performed aradhana in 5 temples in and around Sathyagala. Even at his old age, he would go around in an old cycle to perform the daily aradhana in these temples in addition to performing full time service at the Ranganatha Swamy temple in Madhya Rangam.

Krishna Bhattar was too committed to Lord Ranganatha and financial thoughts rarely crossed his mind. Throughout his life, his message to all his sons and family members was to safeguard the temple by being devotionally committed to the Lord. 

Historically, there were festivals around the year with devotees participating in good numbers. Brahmotsavam was a grand occasion celebrated end of January/early Feb with the Lord visiting the Cauvery for the Theerthavari Utsavam.

The 1970s and the downturn

When the ‘tiller becomes owner’ act came into force, the 800 acres land belonging to the temple began going away. Following the takeover by the HR & CE, the temple has seen dramatic fall in the supplies to the temple. The last four decades have been challenging times for the hereditary priests.

Renovation is due

Till this decade the Eastern entrance was only a Mottai Gopuram. Now idols of Lakshmi Narayana, Yoga Narasimha, Gopala Krishnan and Lakshmi Hayagriva have been installed under the newly constructed Raja Gopuram. One finds several cracks on the walls in many parts of the temple. A proposal for repair works has been sent to the HRCE and the temple is currently waiting for approval. There are no bath or toilet facilities in this temple town. There are also no public transport facilities to the temple. But Sridhar Bhattar the son of Krishna Bhattar is hopeful of the temple being revived to its historical glory sometime in the near future. 

The Legend

Following the boon by Brahmma that he could not be killed by any (existing) weapon, Vrithrasura created havoc among the rishis by constantly disturbing their penance. When the Saptha Rishis approached Shiva for a solution they were directed to Brahmma, as he was the one who had granted the boon of invincibility. On the grounds that he did not have the power to revoke the boon, Brahmma directed them to Vishnu who asked them to seek Indra for a solution to their issue.

When they reached Indra Logam and narrated the challenges they were facing, Indra expressed surprise at him being able to find a solution when the Tri Murthies could not. But since Vishnu suggested that he solve the problem of the rishis, Indra approached Dhathichi Rishi, who had become arrogant due to the extraordinary powers of his Tapas and asked him to sacrifice his life for the sake of protecting the rishis. When he sacrificed his body, Indra created a new Vajraayudham from the back bone of the dead rishi. After performing the final rites for the rishi, Indra took the new weapon and killed the asura.

However, Indra was afflicted with Brahmma Hathi Dosham for taking the life of a Tapaswi like Dhathichi Rishi. Vishnu asked him to bathe in the river and perform penance at Thakshaka Kshetram ( the historical name of this location) invoking the blessings of Ranganatha Swamy. He called upon Vishwakarma, the architect and installed the Saligrama idol of Lord Ranganatha in a sleeping posture as seen in Vaikuntam atop the hooded Serpant all carved on a single stone. A unique feature is the presence of Garuda, the sworn enemy of Adisesha on this stone carving signifying the unity of the people in this region. Historically, the Vadakalaiyars and Thenkalaiyars have lived in harmony in this location.

The temple is open from 730am-1230pm and from 430pm to 8pm. Contact Sridhar Bhattar @ 99012 72621.

How to reach

Sathyagala is about 40 kms South of Maddur on the Malavalli – Kollegal Highway. Buses ply every half hour from Maddur/ Malavalli.

When here also visit the Vedanta Desikar Kote Varadaraja temple, 2kms from Madhya Rangam.